A novel Gaussian-Sinc mixed basis set for electronic structure calculations

A Gaussian-Sinc basis set methodology is presented for the calculation of the electronic structure of atoms and molecules at the Hartree-Fock level of theory. This methodology has several advantages over previous methods. The all-electron electronic structure in a Gaussian-Sinc mixed basis spans both the "localized" and "delocalized" regions. A basis set for each region is combined to make a new basis methodology - a lattice of orthonormal sinc functions is used to represent the "delocalized" regions and the atom-centered Gaussian functions are used to represent the "localized" regions to any desired accuracy. For this mixed basis, all the Coulomb integrals are definable and can be computed in a dimensional separated methodology. Additionally, the Sinc basis is translationally invariant, which allows for the Coulomb singularity to be placed anywhere including on lattice sites. Finally, boundary conditions are always satisfied with this basis. To demonstrate the utility of this method, we calculated the ground state Hartree-Fock energies for atoms up to neon, the diatomic systems H₂, O₂, and N₂, and the multi-atom system benzene. Together, it is shown that the Gaussian-Sinc mixed basis set is a flexible and accurate method for solving the electronic structure of atomic and molecular species.